Various medical procedures involve the introduction of fluids into the body of a patient using a catheter. When a series of different fluids are to be administered, it is often necessary to flush one fluid from the catheter before the next fluid is administered. For example, during angioplasty, the catheter is often flushed with saline before and/or after the addition of contrast solution. Further, it is also necessary to purge any injection lines of air and to prevent the reintroduction of air into the lines.
Accordingly, it is often necessary to selectively connect a catheter to any one of a number of fluid sources such as a contrast solution source, saline source and a waste dump. Further, it is often necessary to connect the catheter to a pressure transducer to monitor the intravascular pressure during a procedure.
The most commonly used apparatus for these types of procedures involves the connection of a catheter to a manifold which consists of a plurality of stopcock valves connected in a series. While one of the stopcocks is connected to the catheter, the other stopcocks are connected to fluid supplies, a pressure transducer, an injection mechanism or other equipment. The physician is required to selectively open and close the stopcock valves during the procedure.
Because a physician is required to manipulate a number of stopcock valves during a procedure to achieve a desired flow path to or from the catheter, it takes a considerable degree of training to learn how to properly operate one of the prior art manifolds. Further, because it is not immediately evident from looking at the manifold which way the fluid is flowing, it is easy to make an improper connection resulting in a high-pressure fluid being applied to a pressure transducer, causing damage or malfunction of the transducer.
Further, because these so-called stopcock manifolds include a large number of moving parts, they are expensive to manufacture. Still further, because a number of stopcock valves are involved in one of these manifolds, the handles must be small so as to not cause interference with one another. However, the small handles can be difficult to grasp and manipulate.
As a result, there is a need for an improved manifold system which involves fewer moving parts and which is easier for the physician to manipulate.